memento_mori's Movie Review of Enemy (2014)

Enemy is one of the most peculiar, distant, cruel and incoherent films I have ever experienced, and I mean that in the absolute best way.

Denis Villeneuve is a director whose attention I have always admired. Attention to detail, attention to symbolism and attention to keeping up tension and interest constantly. Prisoners was one of my favorites of last year for its outstandingly layered plot and deciphering of the mystery.
This film is that mystery, undeciphered.

What makes it such a treat to watch is how unsure of itself it is sometimes. To question the characters is paramount, but everyone knew that already. It had me guessing from beginning to end, over and over again, in so many ways, which is everything I was expecting to see, borrowing again from the pacing and tone of Prisoners.

The acting is astounding and it becomes very obvious that Jake Gyllenhaal put his all into this other-worldly performance and character. Mélanie Laurent and Sarah Gadon also do a good job playing Jake's opposites in the film, and even though their acting doesn't reach Gyllenhaal's by a long shot, they still leave such a memorable impact with their slow and cunning characters.
The acting is often understated and limited to looks and suspicions, only sometimes erupting into rage or excessive emotion, which is all it truly required to make it believable.

The photography is simply amazing. It looks like a vision crossed with a day-dream directly taken from the mind of our main character(s). At times sterile, at times stunning, at times even sinister.
The color palette of brown and white also added to the eeriness of the film's atmosphere and personally made me feel as if I was in an enclosed spaces of the characters' minds.

The music made it all the more suspicious and engrossing. I feel that there were times where the background score could have been quieter or less blatant in the scene, but at least it was fun to listen to.

I have barely any problems with this film, if it is even reverent to a fault.
Enemy is an incessant exercise in fucking with your mind. It is surreal, metaphysical and an infamous experience, which I have deduced will keep people talking for years. Yet another masterfully disturbing piece.